Tanganyika Travels II

Video of wild cichlids in Lake Tanganyika, taken during a research trip in August-December 2011. Video editing by Carla Avolio and Alex Jordan. For more information about the research side of things, please visit www.alexjordan.org. To hear more of Squabz music, go to / squabz

[@MrJanneAho]

Hi lyndonjordan! I personally like the combination of your music choice and the excellent and harmonic video about the underwater environments and the fish species. This video gives so many clues for aquascaping Lake Tanganyika biotopes. Relaxing to watch! This video really takes the toughts into deep waters of Lake Tanganyika. Thank You! Kind regards Janne Aho

[@lyndonjordan]

Hi Janne, I'm glad you liked the video (and the music by Squabz). I will be heading back to the Lake soon, so I'll try to get some more footage of other biotopes for your inspiration!

[@janneaho214]

Hi Alex! It's a pleasure to watch your videos again and again. So relaxing... music and the way you have made them. Almost magical feeling! Kindly Janne Aho

[@rexlinkfish]

The water is soooo blue but it looks soooo cool.

[@lyndonjordan]

You're right about Tropheus fishing, whenever I've seen collectors for aquarium export they are always targeting Tropheus species. The shallow depths you can collect them, and their habitat make them an easy target, as well as the demand in the hobby. That said though, there are still places with lots of them around, have a look at the first vid - Ndole Bay section for some. As for conservation, it's a real problem for the lakes, requiring strong governments to enforce collection limits.

[@lyndonjordan]

Hey thanks. Glad it gave you some inspiration! I'll try and follow some more syno's on my next trip...

[@jokervienna6433]

Very nice. A lot of known species, but also some truly not suited for a tank. Thanks!

[@macrobioticman]

Lake Tanganyika sooo special ;)

[@FreiZeitalex]

Beautiful. ..

[@jasonjordan9101]

Great videos, man. I've watched them all several times. These, along with J Rogers' (from Canada, there at the same time as you for a bit) photos on Flickr, give an insight into what an accurate Tanganyika aquarium biotope should look like. Thanks so much for sharing. Now, if you could just get about an hours worth of Synodontis footage...possibly Granulosus? :)

[@ciclidAzzurro]

@lyndonjordan thanks for answers

[@ciclidAzzurro]

great videos, thanks for sharing. its true that at Chituta deep water cichlids meet shallow cichlids? have you see O. ventralis there?

[@lyndonjordan]

The eels are all Mastacembelus sp., otherwise called Tanganyikan Spiny Eels. They're pretty annoying when doing research, because they follow you around and try to eat the fish you flush out.

[@majorbruster5916]

Actually, my friend Rob Travers reclassified the Tanganyikan species as Afromastacembalus years ago. Mastacembalus is restricted to India and parts of Asia.

[@BuddhaIron]

not the eel in the net..but the first one you saw lol sorry I gotta know

[@playtime1104]

love the video but as a hobbiest in the aquarium i dont know if anyone noticed no tropheus,makes me wonder are tropheus doing good in the lake or are they being overfished,i am very interested in conservation and i would like some more info on what we can do to keep them in the wild

[@majorbruster5916]

Speaking as a former collector and exporter of Tanganyikan fishes, I would say that Tropheus species are amongst some of the over-collected fishes in the lake. That's because every Tropheus keeper wants wild caught specimens and, more so in Germany than anywhere else, at a ratio of 5:1 or even 7:1 females to males. Thus, the collectors are urged to kill any excess males they catch instead of returning them to the water, so as not to collect them when they return on the next collecting trip. When I was operating on the lake, there were 5 collectors that I knew of, operating on the lake. It's a safe bet that Tropheus were on every list. Some species, and their local variants, are more vulnerable to over-collection due to their restricted ranges. As far as I know, there were no regulations regarding the numbers of fishes collected, size categories or close seasons for collecting. Benthochromis tricoti was the only species that attracted attention from authorities, but that was due to its very high retail price, and somebody in power locally was looking for a way to cash in on it. I was never regulated with regard to species or numbers in Zaire (1995).

[@lyndonjordan]

@clempunk86 If you ever do organise a trip, let me know and I'll give you some tips!

[@BuddhaIron]

That eel..was it a spiny eel are a real eel...

[@Paulo_Brasil23]

São bonitos mais prefiro do lago Malawi 😋😁

[@NateK-MN]

What are the fish defending the brood at 4:35?

[@majorbruster5916]

Lepidiolamprologus mimicus.